The late eighteenth century was a formative period in the creation of a British national identity. The long series of wars against France, Great Britain's distinctive pattern of commercial development, and the expansion of the overseas empire encouraged the English, Scots, and Welsh to define themselves against "the Other" overseas. In the same period, modern Scottish tourism was born. The "taming" of the Highlands after the 1745-46 attempt to restore a Stuart to the British throne, the inaccessibility of the Continent to travelers during the wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon, and changing cultural fashions served to make Scotland a popular destination for middle and upper class visitors. This paper will examine the connections between these two developments and will argue that the new fashion for travel in Scotland was a key ingredient in the development of a shared sense of national identity after the Union of England and Scotland in 1707.
Sources to be examined in this paper include the travel writings of Thomas Pennant, Samuel Johnson, James Boswell, Sarah Murray, John Lettice, and John Mcculloch, as well as guidebooks such as The Travellers' Guide or a Topographical Description of Scotland. A key motive for the trips taken by these and other visitors was curiosity about a region considered distinctive and unusual. Yet for many, this interest was linked to a sense of obligation to learn about an area which was both foreign and part of the same nation. Travel literature was as much geography text as personal remembrance, as those who wrote about their experiences self-consciously introduced Scotland to the rest of the kingdom. These presentations demonstrated a sense of pride in the Union and illustrated the ways that Scotland contributed to the uniqueness and greatness of Britain. Scotland's scenery fulfilled the desire for a British landscape differentiated from Continental archetypes. The many remnants of ancient ruins, both Roman and Celtic, bore witness to a great British past. Scotland's prosperous towns and flourishing commercial and manufacturing enterprises were evidence of the vitality of Britain's economy. The end of the clan system in the Highlands testified to the benefits of British "progress" for "barbarian" societies.
Scotland thus bolstered the Union by reminding visitors of reasons for joy in being British. Yet much of that pride derived from the way Scotland was embracing what were seen as essentially "English" values, especially commercial ones. It may be that the "British" pride engendered by northern travel was born in part of a sense of successful conquest. Indeed the very acts of introducing, explaining, and mapping placed the tourist in a position of authority. In initiating and developing the industry, images, and routes which would be influential throughout the history of Scottish tourism, these early visitors also staked a claim there, helping to define Scotland's role in Great Britain.
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